West Virginia 2023 Regular Session Status: Enacted 3 R cosponsors

SB 609 — Obtaining approval for decommissioning or deconstructing of existing power plant

Last action — Chapter 146, Acts, Regular Session, 2023

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House of Delegates
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 13, 2023. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 82% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 6 sponsors

    1 primary, 5 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (3 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

27 added · 25 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amended version of SB 609 now clearly requires that the Public Energy Authority must approve the decommissioning or deconstruction of existing coal, oil, and natural gas power plants before any work can begin. This includes a requirement for energy companies to submit a detailed petition analyzing the social, environmental, and economic impacts of their actions. The law emphasizes the need for exploring alternative technologies rather than simply closing plants, which could help preserve jobs and promote cleaner energy solutions. Additionally, the updated bill explicitly states that approval cannot be unreasonably withheld, providing a bit more assurance to plant owners.

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Latest
WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION Engrossed Senate Bill 609 BYS ENATORS SMITH, ZINGER, OLEY, HILLIP, SWOPE ,AND TAYLOR [Introduced February 13, 2023;
WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION ENROLLED Senate Bill 609 By Senators Smith, Azinger, Boley, Phillips, Swope, and Taylor [Passed March 06, 2023;
referred to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining] Eng SB 609 A Bill to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §5D-1-5c, relating to the approval of decommissioning or deconstructing an existing power plant;
in effect from passage] Enr SB 609 AN ACT to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §5D-1-5c, relating to and requiring the approval of the Public Energy Authority before decommissioning or deconstructing an existing coal, oil, and natural gas fueled electric power plant;
requiring the submission of a petition containing certain specified information;
and exempting certain power plants from approval requirement.
and exempting certain power plants from the approval requirement.
(a) No existing power plant shall undertake any decommissioning or deconstructing activities prior to obtaining approval from the authority.
(a) No existing coal, oil, or natural gas fueled power plant shall undertake any decommissioning or deconstructing activities prior to obtaining approval from the authority:
(b) The authority may approve the decommissioning or deconstructing of an existing power plant upon the submission of a petition containing, at a minimum, the following information:
Provided, That such approval may not be unreasonably withheld.
(b) The authority may approve the decommissioning or deconstructing of an existing coal, oil, or natural gas fueled power plant upon the submission of a petition containing, at a minimum, the following information:
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Action History

  1. Chapter 146, Acts, Regular Session, 2023

  2. Approved by Governor 3/7/2023 - House Journal

  3. Approved by Governor 3/7/2023 - Senate Journal

  4. Approved by Governor 3/7/2023

  5. To Governor 3/7/2023

  6. To Governor 3/7/2023 - House Journal

  7. House received Senate message

  8. Completed legislative action

  9. Communicated to House

  10. Effective from passage (Roll No. 379)

  11. Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 379)

  12. House Message received

  13. Communicated to Senate

  14. Effective from passage (Roll No. 494)

  15. Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)

  16. Passed House (Roll No. 493)

  17. Read 3rd time

  18. Amendment adopted (Voice vote)

  19. Amendment reported by the Clerk

  20. Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)

  21. Amendment reported by the Clerk

  22. On 3rd reading with right to amend, Special Calendar

  23. Read 2nd time

  24. On 2nd reading, Special Calendar

  25. Read 1st time

  26. Immediate consideration

  27. With amendment, do pass

  28. To House Energy and Manufacturing

  29. To Energy and Manufacturing

  30. Introduced in House

  31. Ordered to House

  32. Effective from passage (Roll No. 205)

  33. Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 205)

  34. Read 3rd time

  35. Constitutional Rule Suspended (Roll No. 204)

  36. Floor amendment adopted (Voice vote)

  37. Committee amendment withdrawn by unanimous consent

  38. Read 2nd time

  39. On 2nd reading

  40. Read 1st time

  41. On 1st reading

  42. Reported do pass, with amendment

  43. To Energy, Industry, and Mining

  44. Introduced in Senate

  45. To Energy, Industry, and Mining

  46. Filed for introduction

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 146 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (146)

146 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 146 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Passage

Passed 33 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 15001
Unaffiliated 17000
Democrat 1000
Total 33001
% of votes cast 97%0%0%3%
How each member voted (34)
Member Party Vote
MARONEY — Yea
STOVER — Yea
MARTIN — Yea
STUART — Yea
BOLEY — Yea
SWOPE — Yea
CAPUTO — Yea
NELSON — Yea
PHILLIPS — Yea
PLYMALE — Yea
TRUMP — Yea
HAMILTON — Yea
HUNT — Yea
JEFFRIES — Yea
SMITH — Yea
MR PRESIDENT — Yea
KARNES — Yea
Mike Woelfel Democrat Yea
Amy Grady Republican Yea
Ben Queen Republican Yea
Charles H. Clements Republican Yea
Eric Tarr Republican Yea
Jack Woodrum Republican Yea
Jason Barrett Republican Yea
Jay Taylor Republican Yea
Laura Wakim Chapman Republican Yea
Mark R. Maynard Republican Yea
Mike Azinger Republican Yea
Mike Oliverio Republican Yea
Patricia Rucker Republican Not Voting
Rollan A. Roberts Republican Yea
Ryan Weld Republican Yea
Tom Takubo Republican Yea
Vince Deeds Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

energy
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 609?
SB 609 is sponsored by Mike Azinger (Republican), Boley, Phillips, Swope, Jay Taylor (Republican), and Randy E. Smith (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 609?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 13, 2023. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 609?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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